The present invention relates to a safety system for handling body fluids comprising devices to:
1. barb and safely recap used needles at the bedside;
2. suction needle draw a specimen from a fluid drainage system directly into the transport container;
3. to enclose a skin puncture wound with a suction collecting device to stimulate blood flow and capture capillary blood for testing a specimen
One present invention relates to a bedside caddy device to assist clinicians in safely barbing and recapping a used needle (sharp) at the bedside, using only the one hand.
The protective cap for a skin invasive needle (sharp) is made to securely fit over that particular needle (sharp). The protective cap is intended to safeguard the needle (sharp) before and after use as an invasive device or contact with bloody body fluid.
An accidental needle stick to a clinician can mean hepatitis B, or worse, AIDS. The Center for Disease Control, protectively, tells us not to recap a needle (sharp). We must, at present, transport that unsheathed, contaminated sharp across the room, chancing an accidental needle stick to self or teammate
Because of the pressured work schedules in hospitals or just out of habit, most clinicians continue to recap used sharps, as soon as they are withdrawn from the skin, by hand. Distraction from the patient can delay transporting the used sharp to discard container. Turning away from the area of use, can chance an accidental needle stick to an unnoticed teammate in the room. Recapping needles by hand knowingly chances a needle stick as our second hand, holding the cap, crosses over to approach the contaminated needle tip (A problem with some of the new devices). Safety, to a clinician is a capped, dirty needle--but it should be capped with one hand and at the bedside.
The problems with mishandling dirty sharps has increased the incidence of hepatitis B in clinicians and their contact, at an alarming rate. Many attempts are being made to solve the problem by industry. The concepts do increase the cost of the procedure and, thus, not available at the bedside when needed. Activation of the protective devices may be clumsy and unfamiliar to handle or cause our second hand to enter the contaminated field, and possibly initiate an accident. The direction of solutions seems to be aimed at the familiar device rather than a bedside second hand to protect our own.
The present invention is intended to provide that second hand needed at the bedside, moveably adhered adjacent to the area of an invasive procedure, ready to barb and safely recap a contaminated sharp used in the procedure. The present invention is also addressed to reducing the chance of body fluid contact with means to avoid open transfer of, possibly, bloody fluid, from one container to another, in needle specimen collection from drainage systems. A one-step procedure avoids the delay in recapping the dirty sharp immediately after bloody fluid contact.
Also addressed in the present invention is an alternate use of suction for specimen collection of capillary blood from a skin puncture At present, blood flow is stimulated to skin surface by milking the wound with fingers, chancing bruising of bone and tender tissue in the very young or elderly patient. Repeated procedures can possibly do permanent damage.